Archaeal biofilms: Composition of extracellular polymeric substances, exopolysaccharide synthesis and transport in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

古菌生物膜：酸热硫化叶菌胞外聚合物的组成、胞外多糖的合成和运输

• 批准号: 393406057
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Oliver Schmitz
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Arbeitsgruppe Aquatische Mikrobiologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2017-12-31 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/393406057?language=en
• 关键词: Archaeal; biofilms; Composition; extracellular; polymeric

Biofilms represent the common mode of life for the vast majority of microorganisms on earth. Biofilms formed by bacteria and eukaryotic microorganisms (fungi, algae) and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) have been intensively studied. Members of the third domain of life, Archaea, have gained special research interest due to their adaptation to extreme environments. However, there exists comparatively little information on archaeal biofilms. In the current project, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, a thermoacidophilic, aerobic member of the Crenarchaeota, will be used to study archaeal biofilm formation and architecture, EPS composition and the biosynthesis and transport of exopolysaccharides (PS) as the major EPS components. S. acidocaldarius qualifies as a model organism, because the ability to form biofilms was demonstrated, it is easy to grow under laboratory conditions and it is genetically tractable. In the S. acidocaldarius genome a gene cluster with 11 glycosyltransferases and 8 membrane proteins was identified and initial studies with two deletion strains confirmed the predicted function of the encoded proteins in PS synthesis and transport. The aim is to combine state of the art techniques for biofilm characterisation, EPS analysis and a mutational/biochemical approach to unravel PS synthesis and transport and changes of EPS composition in response to environmental conditions. This project will provide new insights into composition and formation of archaeal biofilms as well as new extremozymes (GTs) of biotechnological interest.

生物膜代表了地球上绝大多数微生物的共同生活模式。由细菌和真核微生物（真菌、藻类）及其胞外聚合物（EPS）形成的生物膜已得到深入研究。第三生命域古细菌的成员由于对极端环境的适应而获得了特殊的研究兴趣。然而，关于古细菌生物膜的信息相对较少。在当前的项目中，酸热硫化叶菌（Sulfolobusacidocaldarius）是Crenarchaeota的一种嗜热嗜酸、需氧的成员，将用于研究古细菌生物膜的形成和结构、EPS组成以及作为主要EPS成分的胞外多糖（PS）的生物合成和运输。酸热链球菌有资格作为模式生物，因为它具有形成生物膜的能力，在实验室条件下很容易生长，并且在遗传上易于处理。在酸热链球菌基因组中，鉴定出具有 11 种糖基转移酶和 8 种膜蛋白的基因簇，并且对两种缺失菌株的初步研究证实了编码蛋白在 PS 合成和转运中的预测功能。其目的是将最先进的生物膜表征技术、EPS 分析和突变/生化方法结合起来，以揭示 PS 合成和运输以及 EPS 成分响应环境条件的变化。该项目将为古细菌生物膜的组成和形成以及具有生物技术意义的新极酶（GT）提供新的见解。